Important Step in Textiles: My Choice Is Textile Engineering

Important Step in Textiles: My Choice is Textile Engineering Textile and apparel exporter associations announced that through a project launched in 2019, they are providing scholarship opportunities equivalent to the minimum wage for successful students choosing textile engineering, aligned with the sector's future vision. The "My Choice is Textile Engineering" scholarship project, implemented through coordination between the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters Association (İTHİB) and the Istanbul Ready-Made Garments and Confection Exporters Association (İHKİB), together with 11 Exporter Associations and the Turkish Textile Industry Employers Union (TTSİS), continues to grow. Carried out with the aim of training qualified engineers aligned with the sector's future vision, the project provides scholarship opportunities equivalent to the minimum wage for successful students choosing textile engineering. Currently, 233 students continuing their studies in this department have qualified to receive scholarships. Through the My Choice is Textile Engineering project, students are offered practical internship opportunities while studying in the department, and due to strong demand from the sector, a significant portion of students secure employment before graduation.

Textile and apparel sector reclaims export champion status

The textile and apparel sector, based on 2021 data, achieved a record USD 30 billion in exports, establishing itself as Turkey's largest exporting sector in the history of the Republic. When the retail sector is included, the number of employed persons exceeded 2 million. As Turkey's textile and apparel sector, ranking among the country's locomotive sectors, rapidly strengthens its global position, the sector's need for qualified workforce is growing at the same pace. Textile and apparel exporter associations, which have undertaken successful efforts to maintain and develop the sector's important position, launched a project based on this need to provide scholarship opportunities equivalent to the minimum wage for successful students choosing textile engineering. Since 2019, the My Choice is Textile Engineering project has been proceeding successfully, showing that department scores, which previously competed with medical faculties in score rankings, are rising rapidly. Under the project, scholarships are awarded to students who rank among the top 80,000 in the university entrance examination and gain admission to the department by selecting textile engineering as one of their top five preferences. Students with textile engineering as one of their top five preferences and ranking among the top 20,000 receive the minimum wage; those ranking between 20,000 and 50,000 receive 70 percent of the minimum wage; and candidates ranking between 50,000 and 80,000 receive 50 percent of the minimum wage as scholarships. Within the project scope, all students meeting the criteria, without any numerical limit, qualify to receive scholarships throughout their undergraduate education, including university preparatory programs. Within the framework of university-industry cooperation, students undergo at least one semester of practical training programs in production facilities. The My Choice is Textile Engineering Project is implemented through cooperation between Textile and Apparel Exporter Associations and the Turkish Textile Industry Employers Union, with approvals from the Ministry of Commerce and within the framework of a Cooperation Protocol signed with the Council of Higher Education (YÖK). The scholarship project is financed by the Textile and Apparel Exporter Associations and the Turkish Textile Industry Employers Union.